and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now witnesses for Him to the people.

As they were leaving the synagogue, the people kept begging that all this be repeated to them the next sabbath,

and after the congregation had broken up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism allied themselves with Paul and Barnabas, and they kept talking to them and urging them to continue to rely on the unmerited favor of God.

But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were completely overcome by their jealousy and began to contradict the statements made by Paul, and even to abuse him.

So Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. "It was necessary," they said, "first to proclaim the word of God to you. But since you push it away from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

But the Jews incited the prominent women, who worshiped God, and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.

But they shook off the dust from their feet as a protest against them, and went to Iconlure;

As for the disciples, they were continually filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit.

And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

In spite of this, however, they stayed there a considerable time and continued to speak with courage from the Lord, who continued to bear testimony to His gracious message and kept on granting signs and wonders to be done by them.

they became aware of it and fled to the Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding country,

and there they continued to tell the good news.

At Lystra they met a certain man sitting [on the street] who had a crippling handicap in his feet which he had suffered since birth. [It was so severe] he was never able to walk.

So the crowds, because they saw what Paul had done, shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods in human form have come down to us!"

They called Barnabas Zeus and Paul, because he was the principal speaker, Hermes.

But the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, when they heard it, tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd,

and shouted, "Men, why are you doing this? We are merely men with natures like your own, who are telling you the good news, so that you may turn from these foolish things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that they contain.

Even by saying this it was all that they could do to keep the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.

But some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and won the crowds by persuasion, and they stoned Paul, and dragged him outside the town, supposing he was dead.

They told the good news in that town, and after winning many disciples there, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. "We must endure many hardships," they said, "to get into the kingdom of God."

And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Then they passed through Pisidia and went down to Pamphylia,

and after telling their message in Perga, they went on to Attalia,

and from there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been committed to God's favor for the work which they had finished.

On arriving there they called the church together, and in detail reported to them all that God had done through them as instruments, and how He had opened to the heathen the door of faith.

And there they stayed a long time with the disciples.

But certain persons came down from Judea, and began to teach the Brethren that, unless they were circumcised, in accordance with the custom enjoined by Moses, they could not be saved.

So, as a dire disturbance and a serious discussion had been created between Paul and Barnabas and them, they decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others from their number should go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question.

So they were endorsed and sent on by the church, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told of the conversion of the heathen and brought great rejoicing to all the brothers.

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported what God had done through them as instruments.

But there rose up, said they, some of the sect of the pharisees that believed, saying, that it was necessary to circumcise them, and enjoin them to keep the law of Moses.

And when there had been much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, My brothers, you have knowledge that some time back it was God's pleasure that by my mouth the good news might be given to the Gentiles so that they might have faith.

In fact, we believe that it is through the favor of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

By this he quieted the whole congregation, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell of the signs and wonders which God had done through them among the heathen.

When they finished, James responded as follows: "Brothers, listen to me.

And that is in harmony with the words of the Prophets, where they say--

So that they remaining of men might seek out the Lord, and all the nations upon whom my name has been called upon them, says the Lord, making all these.

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole congregation, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas, called also Barsabbas, and Silas, which were chief men among the brethren:

They sent this letter by them: "The apostles and elders as brothers send greeting to the brothers from among the heathen in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia.

Since we have heard that some have gone out from among us with no orders from us and have confused you, upsetting your minds by what they said,

we have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, and they by word are telling the same things.

So the messengers were sent out, and they went down to Antioch, called a meeting of the congregation, and delivered the letter.

When they had read it, they were delighted with the encouragement it brought them.

Now Judas and Silas, as they were prophets themselves, in a lengthy talk encouraged and strengthened the brothers.

After spending some time there, they were sent back with a greeting to those who sent them.

Paul and Barnabas, however, remained in Antioch, where they taught and, with the help of many others, told the Good News of the Lord's Message.

Some days after this Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we preached the Lord's message, to see how they are."

but Paul held the opinion they should not take this one along, who departed from them in Pamphylia and did not accompany them in the work.

The disagreement was so sharp that they separated, and Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.

Among other places Paul went to Derbe and Lystra. At the latter place they found a disciple, named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer in Christ, while his father was a Greek,

Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

As they journeyed on from town to town, they delivered to the brothers to keep the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they continually increased in number day after day.

Then they crossed Phrygia and Galatia. But because they were prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia,

they went on to Mysia and tried to get into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them.

So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

This girl kept following Paul and the rest of us, shrieking, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, and they are proclaiming to you a way of salvation."

But as the owners saw that the hope of their profit-making was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the public square, before the authorities,

and brought them to the chiefs of the police court. They said, "These men are Jews; they continue to make great disturbance in our town

and they proclaim customs that are not lawful for us to receive nor to do, being Romans.'

The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods.

After flogging them severely, they put them into jail, and gave the jailer orders to keep close watch on them.

They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved."

Then they told God's message to him and to all the members of his household.

But Paul said to them, "They beat us in public and that without a trial, and put us in jail although we are Roman citizens! Let them come here themselves and take us out!"

The policemen reported this message to the chiefs of the police court, and they became alarmed when they heard that they were Roman citizens,

And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

After getting out of jail, they went to Lydia's house; they saw the brothers and encouraged them, and then left town.

Now they traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia until they reached Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue.

So some of them were convinced, and they joined Paul and Silas; also quite a number of devout Greeks and not a few women of the first rank.

But this enraged the Jews; so they got together some wicked loafers about the public square, formed a mob, and set the town in an uproar.

They stopped at Jason's house and tried to bring them out to the people. So, as they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the town magistrates, shouting, "These fellows, who have turned the world topsy-turvy, have come here too,

and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to the Emperor's decrees, because they claim there is another king, Jesus."

Thus they wrought up to great excitement the crowd and the town magistrates, on their hearing this,

And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

That night at once the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and on arriving there they went to the Jewish synagogue.

The Jews there were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with all eagerness and carried on a daily study of the Scriptures to see if Paul's message was true.

But when the Jews at Thessalonica learned that God's message had been proclaimed at Berea by Paul, they came there too to excite the masses and stir up a riot.

The brothers then sent off Paul at once on his way to the sea, while Silas and Timotheus remained where they were.

And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Some of the Epicurean and the Stoic philosophers began to debate with him; and some said, "What is this scraps-of-truth-picker trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities." They said so because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.

So they took him and brought him to the city auditorium and said, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?

For some of the things you bring sound startling to us; so we want to know just what they mean."

he receives no service from their officiousness: he is self-sufficient: it is he that gives to all their life and breath and every thing they have.

From one man he made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live,

so that they might search for God, possibly they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is really not far from any of us.

The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:

But when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, "We will hear you again on this subject."

and as they all had the same trade, they proceeded to work together.

But as they opposed and abused him, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own heads! I am not to blame for it myself. Hereafter I am going to the heathen."

and Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue did believe in the Lord with all his house, and many of the Corinthians hearing were believing, and they were being baptized.

They said, "This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the Law."

but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; I am not minded to be a judge of these matters.

Then they all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and kept beating him right in front of the court; but Gallio paid no attention to it.

Then they came to Ephesus, and Paul left them there. He went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews.

They asked him to stay longer, but he would not consent.

He started speaking courageously in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home with them and more accurately explained the way of God to him.